


she's in the air you breathe with every breath you take

by Stars_dreaming (orphan_account)



Series: 88 MCU drabbles and oneshots [73]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 11:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18850258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Stars_dreaming
Summary: Winning comes at great costs.





	she's in the air you breathe with every breath you take

“—we won, we won!”

 

The whole field erupts in a cheer, and Rhodey turns around in his suit – raises his fist in the air and grins.

 

Everyone is battered and bruised – and some of them a little broken – but they’re okay.

 

 

He lifts his faceplate and looks at the horizon with a smile. “We made it,” he whispers. Then he hears the cheers fade away, and he turns away from the horizon, wondering what made them fade away.

 

“Rhodey?” Tony’s voice sounds over the comms. “You might want to get over here?”

 

Judging from his best friend’s voice, it’s not good. Rhodey steps out of the suit and hurries over the field, through all the others, until he stops dead in his tracks.

 

 

Against the remains of a wall lies a familiar body, bleeding and with her face turned to the sky.

 

Rhodey immediately kneels next to her and takes her hand. He whispers, “No, no, this can’t be true, you can’t do this to me.”

 

She looks at him and smiles a painful smile, filled with so much love that it makes his eyes sting. Her eyes themselves are brimming with tears, but she doesn’t let them go.

 

Always so strong, he thinks. I wish I could be like you, he thinks.

 

“You can’t do this,” he sobs. “Don’t do this.”

 

He squeezes her hand harder – wills for her to be strong enough to surpass this. But even he knows that it’s impossible; the wound is too big, and she’s already lost too much blood.

 

He closes his eyes and bows his head. How can he look at her when she’s going to die?

 

 

“Hey,” he hears her whispers. Then he feels her hand against his cheek. “Look at me. Look at me, baby.”

 

He looks, and he chokes up again. She smiles at him through her own tears.

 

“I love you. I love you so incredibly much,” she whispers.

 

He leans closer to her and softly presses his lips to hers. They are already cold.

 

“I love you too,” he mumbles, face so close to hers that nobody else can hear.

 

 

Around them, everyone goes silent. Rhodey doesn’t need to look up to know they’re all here to say goodbye – they’re all standing there.

 

He pulls back and holds her hand while Tony kisses her cheek and tells her that it’s okay. That she can rest now – that it’s time to rest.

 

And she smiles and turns her eyes towards the sky again. Her look turns longing – like she wants to be free. Rhodey understands.

 

He holds her hand as she turns her head back to him again. “Rhodey,” she whispers, ever so soft, “I can hear the birds.”

 

Her smile widens and a tear rolls over her cheek.

 

“Thank you,” she whispers, and then she breathes out.


End file.
